Senators in both parties are hoping to pass a long-stalled Russia sanctions bill championed by their late colleague Lindsey Graham.
The 71-year-old South Carolina Republican died unexpectedly Saturday night after returning from a trip to Ukraine, where he announced that the White House had agreed to support his bipartisan bill to sanction purchasers of Russian oil.
The measure, an attempt to cut off a key source of funding for Russia’s war against Ukraine, has stalled in Congress for more than a year since Mr. Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat, first introduced it.
The bill has broad bipartisan support, but the White House initially did not want Congress to pass it as it sought to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Those negotiations never bore fruit and Mr. Graham continued to make the case for harsh sanctions as a tool to force Russia to the table.
“We are proud to announce that we have reached an agreement with the Trump Administration to move our updated Russia sanctions legislation forward,” Mr. Graham said in a Friday statement with Mr. Blumenthal and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, and Roger Wicker, Mississippi Republican.
“As Russia intensifies its slaughter of civilians, it is imperative that the legislative and executive branches work together to create tools to exact a heavy price on those who buy Russian oil and natural gas, fueling the Putin war machine,” they said.
The senators said they would roll out the legislation “very soon.” Mr. Graham died before that could happen, but the other cosponsors said they want to finish the deal in his honor.
“I will forever remember our last lengthy conversation this weekend, when he exulted at reaching an agreement on our Russian sanctions bill and said, ‘this is a big effing deal – we all did good,’” Mr. Blumenthal said. “When we last spoke, he was as enthusiastic and exuberant as I’ve ever seen him. Passing the sanctions bill right away would be a fitting tribute.”
Mr. Graham had described his work on the Russia sanctions bill as “one of his most consequential efforts,” Ms. Shaheen said.
“There can be no more fitting memorial to Lindsey, his legacy or the causes he fought for than to pass this legislation and realize his long-held dream of an independent and secure Ukraine,” she said.
In addition to the statement with his colleagues, Mr. Graham spoke with reporters while in Ukraine about the deal with the White House.
“It means it’s going to become law,” he said. “So, when I get back to Washington, I’m going to go with Senator Blumenthal to the Republican and Democratic leader to see if we can find time to move this Russian sanctions package that would give tools to President Trump to help end this war.”
Mr. Trump supports the bill, a White House aide confirmed to The Washington Times.
The aide did not answer a question about what was changed to earn the White House’s support.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested in a CNN interview on Monday that all of the details were not yet finalized.
“The White House obviously had been working closely with Lindsey and his team on this,” the South Dakota Republican said. “There are Democrats who are involved in it. I think there is a sanctions bill that could get 80 to 90 votes in the Senate. We have got to figure out exactly what that is.”
Mr. Graham was “very passionate” about giving the president the tools needed to bring an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, Mr. Thune said. The South Carolina senator had been working on the sanctions bill for a long time and spent his final days focused on trying to solidify that accomplishment.
“It would certainly be an incredible legacy for him if, in fact, we can find a path forward,” Mr. Thune said. “It’ll take Democrats and Republicans here in the Senate to do that. But I’m hopeful we can make that happen.”
Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer offered his support for doing so in a floor speech on Monday.
“I urge Sen. Thune, in honor of Lindsey, to put the Russian sanctions bill on the floor immediately,” the New York Democrat said. “It will pass overwhelmingly, and help our allies in Ukraine.”
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, Pennsylvania Republican and House cosponsor of the Sanctioning Russia Act, said he will see the legislation across the finish line in Mr. Graham’s honor – “and as a lasting testament to the cause of freedom he spent a lifetime defending.”
